Linphone vs The Lounge

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureLinphoneThe Lounge
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseGPL-3.0MIT
LanguageC++TypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM128 MB256 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcedocker, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 500★ 6,309
First released20012014
ReplacesSkype, ZoomIRCCloud, Slack

Why pick each one

Choose Linphone if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Written in C++
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Linphone details

Choose The Lounge if…

  • Great IRC experience in the browser
  • Multi-user support
The Lounge details

Frequently asked questions

Is Linphone or The Lounge better?

The Lounge is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Linphone if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Linphone and The Lounge free and open-source?

Yes. Linphone is licensed under GPL-3.0 and The Lounge under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Linphone and The Lounge with Docker?

Linphone: check the project docs for container support. The Lounge: yes.

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